Parents who are going through a child custody dispute have to try to do what is in the best interests of their children. While this can be challenging in almost every case, it becomes exponentially more difficult when one parent is a narcissist.
If you’re in this situation, you should be careful about what you say during the court proceedings. For example, you should never make a claim that your ex is a narcissist unless there has been an actual clinical diagnosis.
Why is co-parenting with a narcissist so challenging?
Narcissists have a need to control everything. They believe that the world revolves around them and their wishes, so they don’t see everything in the same way as everyone else.
A narcissist thrives on conflict and emotional manipulation. They don’t like to compromise and don’t have any sense of accountability. These traits can make decisions over communication, schedules, medical care, school issues and other matters impossible.
How can you reduce the contention?
There isn’t a way to stop the behavior of the narcissistic parent. Your best course of action is to remain calm when interacting with them so you don’t feed their need to control your emotions. You should also keep proof of everything that has to do with the children or your communication with your ex.
Because narcissists tend to lie about everything, being able to provide proof is often critical in these child custody cases. It is crucial to have experienced legal guidance to deal with the legal aspects of child custody matters when you are dealing with a narcissist.